'There's a tree sitting in the driver's seat, sticking out'

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SNOHOMISH, Wash. -- Heavy wind and tall trees don't get along very well sometimes. Just ask the Minkel family.

In rural Snohomish, finding the right spot to park isn't as easy as you might think. Space isn't the issue, but sometimes luck is.

That was the problem with the Minkels' Mitsubishi pickup, which got impaled by a cedar tree, like a toothpick through a tater tot.

The truck belongs to Tyler and Nicole Minkel. It was Tyler's very first car. It has now gone to pickup truck heaven.

"We're like, 'There's a tree through your truck. And none of us knew how it happened.' And it was a sight to see," said NIcole Minkel.

"There's a tree sitting in the driver's seat, sticking out. That's the best way to put it," said Tyler Minkel.

The good news is that the driver-side window is intact. The bad news is it might be hard to reach the gas pedal from here on out. Taking it out of first gear might not be all that easy either.

And then there was the insurance dillema for Tyler's parents. Removal of the tree was quoted at $3,200. The tree was insured, but the truck wasn't. And so the insurance company said it would not pay.

And if they left it all the way it was, and the tree fell down and hit the house -- which it could, insurance wouldn't pay for that either, because the Minkels knew about the tree and didn't have it removed.

But then came along a guy named Rocky Myers from a company called City Tree. He said he'd take the job.

"We'll bring the crane in, come down the driveway, set up right there. We'll come in right over the top, and we'll take it out in one piece," Myers said.

And he said he'd do it free of charge.

"The tree is in a precarious position. My wife said this is one of those times we need to help out. So we're going to help out," he said.

It will take 14 hours to extract the stake from the heart of the Mitsubishi.

And Nicole and Tyler will want to reconsider their parking choices in the future.